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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records

The application of some lifting-body reentry concepts to missile design

The aerodynamic characteristics of some lifting-body concepts are examined with a view to the applicability of such concepts to the design of missiles. A considerable amount of research has been done in past years with vehicle concepts suitable for manned atmospheric-entry and atmospheric flight. Some of the concepts appear to offer some novel design approaches for missiles for a variety of missions and flight profiles, including long-range orbital/reentry with transatmospheric operation for strategic penetration, low altitude penetration, and battlefield tactical. The concepts considered include right triangular pyramidal configurations, a lenticular configuration, and various 75-degree triangular planform configurations with variations in body camber and control systems. The aerodynamic features are emphasized but some observations are also made relative to other factors such as heat transfer, structures, carriage, observability, propulsion, and volumetric efficiency.

Spearman, M. L.↗

The application of some lifting-body reentry concepts to missile design

The aerodynamic characteristics of some lifting-body concepts are examined with a view to the applicability of such concepts to the design of missiles. A considerable amount of research has been done in past years with vehicle concepts suitable for manned atmospheric-entry and atmospheric flight. Some of the concepts appear to offer some novel design approaches for missiles for a variety of missions and flight profiles, including long-range orbital/reentry with transatmospheric operation for strategic penetration, low altitude penetration, and battlefield tactical. The concepts considered include right triangular pyramidal configurations, a lenticular configuration, and various 75-degree triangular planform configurations with variations in body camber and control systems. The aerodynamic features are emphasized but some observations are also made relative to other factors such as heat transfer, structures, carriage, observability, propulsion, and volumetric efficiency.

Spearman, M. L.↗

Application of IPAD to missile design

The application of an integrated program for aerospace-vehicle design (IPAD) to the design of a tactical missile is examined. The feasibility of modifying a proposed IPAD system for aircraft design work for use in missile design is evaluated. The tasks, cost, and schedule for the modification are presented. The basic engineering design process is described, explaining how missile design is achieved through iteration of six logical problem solving functions throughout the system studies, preliminary design, and detailed design phases of a new product. Existing computer codes used in various engineering disciplines are evaluated for their applicability to IPAD in missile design.

Santa, J. E.↗

Summary of Flutter Experiences as a Guide to the Preliminary Design of Lifting Surfaces on Missiles

Presented is a limited review of some experiences in flight testing of missiles and of wing flutter investigations that may be of interest in missile design. Several types of flutter of concern in missile studies are briefly described. Crude criteria are presented for two of the most common types of flutter to permit a rapid estimate to be made of the probability of the occurrence of flutter. Many of the details of the flutter problem have been omitted, and only the broader elements have been retained so as to give the designer an overall view of the subject.

VIBRATION AND FLUTTER - BODIES↗

Flexible missile autopilot design studies with PC-MATLAB/386

Development of a responsive, high-bandwidth missile autopilot for airframes which have structural modes of unusually low frequency presents a challenging design task. Such systems are viable candidates for modern, state-space control design methods. The PC-MATLAB interactive software package provides an environment well-suited to the development of candidate linear control laws for flexible missile autopilots. The strengths of MATLAB include: (1) exceptionally high speed (MATLAB's version for 80386-based PC's offers benchmarks approaching minicomputer and mainframe performance); (2) ability to handle large design models of several hundred degrees of freedom, if necessary; and (3) broad extensibility through user-defined functions. To characterize MATLAB capabilities, a simplified design example is presented. This involves interactive definition of an observer-based state-space compensator for a flexible missile autopilot design task. MATLAB capabilities and limitations, in the context of this design task, are then summarized.

Ruth, Michael J.↗

Historical development of worldwide guided missiles

The development of missiles from early history to present time is put in perspective. The influence of World War II in accelerating the development of guided missiles, particularly through German scientists, is discussed. The dispersion of German scientists to other countries and the coupling of their work with native talent to develop guide missiles is traced. Particular emphasis is placed on the evolution of the missile in the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. Since the Soviets possess what is probably the world's most complete array of dedicated missile system types, their known inventory is reviewed. Some philosophical observations of missile design trends and missile purposes are made as related to the interests of various countries.

Spearman, M. L.↗

Tactical missile aerodynamics

The present conference on tactical missile aerodynamics discusses autopilot-related aerodynamic design considerations, flow visualization methods' role in the study of high angle-of-attack aerodynamics, low aspect ratio wing behavior at high angle-of-attack, supersonic airbreathing propulsion system inlet design, missile bodies with noncircular cross section and bank-to-turn maneuvering capabilities, 'waverider' supersonic cruise missile concepts and design methods, asymmetric vortex sheding phenomena from bodies-of-revolution, and swept shock wave/boundary layer interaction phenomena. Also discussed are the assessment of aerodynamic drag in tactical missiles, the analysis of supersonic missile aerodynamic heating, the 'equivalent angle-of-attack' concept for engineering analysis, the vortex cloud model for body vortex shedding and tracking, paneling methods with vorticity effects and corrections for nonlinear compressibility, the application of supersonic full potential method to missile bodies, Euler space marching methods for missiles, three-dimensional missile boundary layers, and an analysis of exhaust plumes and their interaction with missile airframes.

Hemsch, Michael J.↗

Theoretical study of self-balancing missiles

A theoretical study based on linear theory is presented for two types of 'self-balancing' missiles, designed to accelerate vertically or laterally without pitching or yawing. One type of missile had a variable-incidence wing and the other type had wing flaps to provide acceleration. The main objective of this investigation is to compare the maximum available acceleration for these self-balancing missiles with that of conventional pitching-type missiles. Ten different configurations were considered. The results indicate that self-balancing missiles with either variable wing incidence or wing flaps are feasible, but that the maximum available acceleration for these missiles is less than for a conventional pitching-type missile having the same wing and tail surfaces.

Hopkins, E. J.↗

Historical review of missile aerodynamic developments

A comprehensive development history to about 1970 is presented for missile technologies and their associated capabilities and difficulties. Attention is given to the growth of an experimental data base for missile design, as well as to the critical early efforts to develop analytical methods applicable to missiles. Most of the important missile development efforts made during the period from the end of the Second World War to the early 1960s were based primarily on experiences gained through wind tunnel and flight testing; analytical techniques began to demonstrate their usefulness in the design process only in the late 1960s.

Spearman, M. Leroy↗

STABILITY PROBLEMS IN MISSILE STRUCTURES

A number of specific buckling problems relating to missile propellant tanks and transition sections are enumerated. In some cases approximate techniques used by missile designers to determine stability are mentioned. The inadequacies of these approximate methods and the unavailability of appropriate usable information is stressed. Furthermore, the mathematical complexities of nonlinear buckling problems are considered. Some possibly fruitful areas of mathematics to simplify these complexities are discussed with the hope that research in these areas will provide a batter means through which the analyst may supply the designer with more realistic and accurate theoretical data.

MISSILE↗

A Method for Estimating the Rolling Moments Caused by Wing-tail Interference for Missiles at Supersonic Speeds

A method is presented for estimating the rolling moments caused by wing-tail interference for missiles composed of wing-tail-body combination. The considerations involved in determining the structure of the downwash field behind lifting cruciform wing-body combinations and the rolling moment on cruciform wings of various plan forms induced by an infinite line vortex are discussed in detail. Computations of induced rolling moments for several missile designs are compared with experimental results.

WING-TAIL-BODY COMBINATIONS - MISSILES↗

The Dynamics of Solid Propellant Rocket Motors

From the point of view of dynamics, a solid propellant rocket motor is a unique structure in that it is composed of a substantial mass of propellant material case-bonded to a relatively massless, thin-walled cylinder. The mechanical properties of the propellant are such that it contributes little to the stiffness of the composite structure but it does contribute to the dynamic characteristics of the structure because of its mass. Furthermore, due to the viscoelastic character of the propellant, it can be expected to provide considerable damping to the system. At this point in the development of the art of design of solid propellant rocket motors there are no clear-cut or well-founded methods to evaluate quantitatively the contributions of the propellant to the dynamic responses of the composite structure. It is clear that unless such methods are devised, it will be difficult to arrive at accurate missile designs. In this paper a survey of the dynamic problems of solid propellant rocket motors is presented starting from the simplest model thereof and proceeding, step-by-step, to the consideration of more sophisticated and realistic models. The consideration is restricted to infinitesimal deformations of propellant grains with linear mechanical properties. Substantial progress has been achieved towards the solution of many important dynamical problems. We shall attempt to summarize the pertinent developments and indicate along which lines we feel future study should proceed. A few illustrative solutions are included in areas wherein progress has been substantial.

DYNAMIC RESPONSE↗

PNS predictions for supersonic/hypersonic flows over finned missile configurations

Finned missile design entails accurate and computationally fast numerical techniques for predicting viscous flows over complex lifting configurations at small to moderate angles of attack and over Mach 3 to 15; these flows are often characterized by strong embedded shocks, so that numerical algorithms are also required to capture embedded shocks. The recent real-gas Flux Vector Splitting technique is here extended to investigate the Mach 3 flow over a typical finned missile configuration with/without side fin deflections. Elliptic grid-generation techniques for Mach 15 flows are shown to be inadequate for Mach 3 flows over finned configurations and need to be modified. Fin-deflection studies indicate that even small amounts of missile fin deflection can substantially modify vehicle aerodynamics. This 3D parabolized Navier-Stokes scheme is also extended into an efficient embedded algorithm for studying small axially separated flow regions due to strong fin and control surface deflections.

Bhutta, Bilal A.↗